Cable harnesses are used to bind a plurality of cables into a bundle. Cable harnesses may also be used to cover, at least partially, the cables so as to prevent damage to or exposure of the cables. Further, cable harnesses may be used to direct the path of the cables to avoid potential areas of danger. One industry that uses cable harnesses is the automobile industry. For example, a cable harness may be used to bundle cables and direct them away from certain areas of the automobile during installation. The cable harness may be shaped such that when installed, the cable harness may direct the cables to avoid hot surfaces or areas of the automobile having sharp edges or pinch points. Further, the cable harness may be used to maximize interior space by keeping the cables flat and tucked away to optimize the available space. Finally, bundling the cables with a protective covering may prevent the cables from being affected by vibration, moisture, or abrasion.
Cable harnesses used in the field today may comprise molded plastic amongst other materials. An injection mold may be prepared having a specific shape, and the injected plastic may conform to said shape to provide the desired cable harness. The cable harness may then be fit into the automobile when desired for use. The process may have several drawbacks. One drawback is that a new cable harness mold may be needed any time there is a design change to the automobile affecting the shape of the cable harness. For example, if a new model of the automobile is designed that necessitates a change to the shape in which the cables are to be bundled, an entirely new mold must be prepared to provide a cable harness having the new shape. If a significant design overhaul was made to the automobile, multiple new cable harnesses may be required, which would in turn require multiple new injection molds to be prepared. The cost of preparing the new injection molds may be significant.
As such, the expense of even small design or engineering changes can increase significantly for every cable harness that must be redesigned to fit the new model of the automobile.
One solution may be to use a tape comprising a curable adhesive that is wrapped helically around the harness. Upon curing, the tape would stiffen and thereby stiffen the whole harness. However, the use of the tape may lead to leaking of the curable adhesive during the curing step, as well as the curable adhesive contacting the cables, which can lead to undesired interactions.